New Zealand Officially Changed Laws So That The Hobbit Would Film There

The New Zealand Parliament “bowed to the will of Warner Bros. today,” passing actual legislation to prevent unionization of film industry workers, as promised. The legislation passed 66-50, with the National Party describing the legislation as more “a clarification of existing law” than a new thing. The Labour Party, however, claimed the move “reduced New Zealand to a client state of a U.S. movie studio.” [THR]